The Other Limited Releases

February 4th, 2011

With the Oscar wait officially on, the target audience for the average limited release is a little distracted, which explains why there's not a lot of prime releases this week. There are a few films earning good reviews, including a couple documentaries, as well as a few films with better than average name recognition that are struggling with critics. It will be interesting to see if any can thrive in theaters.

Cold Weather - Reviews
When Doug drops out of college and returns home, he spends his days reading Sherlock Holmes novels. Then when his ex-girlfriend shows up out of the blue, and just as suddenly vanishes, he and his co-worker put their love of detective novels to good use. The reviews for this film are good, but I'm not sure they are good enough to thrive. Also, while it is opening in New York today and Los Angeles next week, it's going VOD on the 9th, so it doesn't have a large window to play in theaters. Hopefully it will defy the odds, as it looks like a cool movie. Cold Weather opens tonight at the IFC Center in Now York City.

Dressed - Reviews
A Rags to Riches story about Nary Manivong, who went from homeless to fashion designer. It's a great story, but so far the reviews are not strong. Too many cliches, not in-depth enough, etc. This is a real shame, as the subject matter deserved better. Dressed opens tonight at the Clearview's Chelsea in New York City.

Into Eternity - Reviews
A documentary about the permanent nuclear waste storage facility being built in a cave network in Finland, and the nuclear energy industry in general. A powerful film that is currently earning 100% positive reviews, and not only that, it is very timely, as we need a new energy policy. On the other hand, documentaries rarely escape limited release. Into Eternity opened on Wednesday at the Film Forum in New York City.

Lovers in a Dangerous Time - No Reviews
Just a quick note from last week. This film has had its one-week run extended, which makes it the second Canadian film in two weeks to do that.

The Other Woman - ReviewsOscar nominatedNatalie Portman stars as a woman dealing with a dysfunctional family after marrying a divorced lawyer and having troubles with her new step-son and his ex-wife. This film was made in 2008 for a 2009 release, but sat on the shelf. Thanks to Natalie Portman's Awards Season performance, it is earning a theatrical release, but only after going VOD in January. Add in mixed to weak reviews, and there's little hope for this film at the box office in the long run, even if the cast can help it during its opening weekend. The Other Woman opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City and the Laemmles Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills.

Waiting for Forever - ReviewsRomantic comedies rarely get great reviews, but even with that in mind, this film is getting terrible reviews. 8% positive will likely make it one of the worse-reviewed films of 2011 when all is said and done. The cast has more name recognition than a lot of limited releases have, but I really don't think that will be enough to thrive, or even just survive. Waiting for Forever opens tonight in three theaters, mostly in the Los Angeles area, which is not surprising as that's where it's set.

What Women Want - Reviews
A Chineseremake of What Women Want. Oh great, first they steal our jobs, now they are stealing our ideas for cheesyromantic comedies. (The part about stealing our jobs was a joke, so don't send me nasty e-mails.) The film does star a number of people who have name recognition here (Kelly Hu, Li Gong, Andy Lau, Russell Wong, Osric Chau) and that might help it at the box office. However, it's still a foreign language film and the wrong genre for limited release, so it will have a tough time ahead of it. What Women Want opened on Thursday in more than a dozen theaters in places like New York City and the Los Angeles area, but also in cities like Boston and Seattle.